John Blue House

The century-old John Blue House provides a glimpse into an important part of Scotland County’s past – the culture of the rural Carolinas – as well as insight into the heart and soul of Mr. John Blue.

Constructed after the Civil War in 1891, John Blue, Sr. designed the home after visiting family in Mississippi where he became intrigued by the riverboats. Upon his return, he designed the home to reflect this look – including the “bridge” of the home that served as his favorite sitting area. Also contributing to the riverboat design are the rare double circular porches, as well as the ornaments that decorate the porch and railings — all hand carved by Mr. Blue himself. The house is built entirely of heart of pine lumber from trees on the grounds.

Inside there are 12 rooms and 12 exterior doors. The doors display decorative stained glass, a feature of which Mr. Blue was especially proud. Today over 90% of the original stained glass windows remain intact. One window that Mr. Blue especially enjoyed was the red stained glass window in the front door. This window allowed him to look through it, across the road to his cotton fields. The red tint illuminated the fields and allowed Mr. Blue to see his “rose garden.”